girls' name ★ peaked 1962

Sheila

Meaning Anglicized spelling of Irish Síle, equivalent to Cecilia Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,686 Trend ↓ Falling 14%

Anglicized spelling of Irish Síle, equivalent to Cecilia.

Rank 2025
#2,686
among girls · ↓655 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
65
named Sheila · -33% vs 2024
How common
1 in 24,727
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1962
8,807 babies
All-time total
239,422
#170 all-time among girls
First recorded
1907
in Social Security records

Sheila popularity over time

239,422 babies have been named Sheila since 1907, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s 33 – 33 3 – #1,204
1910s 388 – 388 39 +1076% #824
1920s 1,853 5 1,858 186 +379% #368
1930s 10,958 50 11,008 1,101 +492% #125
1940s 35,740 90 35,830 3,583 +225% #70
1950s 70,174 155 70,329 7,033 +96% #52
1960s 74,078 211 74,289 7,429 +6% #50
1970s 26,509 93 26,602 2,660 -64% #75
1980s 9,541 44 9,585 959 -64% #214
1990s 4,646 – 4,646 465 -52% #401
2000s 2,868 – 2,868 287 -38% #658
2010s 1,349 – 1,349 135 -53% #1,283
2020s (to 2025) 637 – 637 106 -21% #1,605

Where Sheila is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 63 0.04 outside top 500
2027 62 0.04 outside top 500
2028 61 0.04 outside top 500
2029 60 0.04 outside top 500
2030 59 0.04 outside top 500

Where Sheila is most popular

Girls named Sheila per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.062 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Sheila born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 21 0.116 +87%
New York 42 0.106 +70%
Ohio 20 0.084 +35%
Florida 36 0.084 +35%
Tennessee 11 0.069 +11%
California 55 0.065 +5%
Texas 44 0.055 -12%
Indiana 6 0.043 -31%
Virginia 6 0.035 -44%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sheila

Sheila is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,686 in 2025 with 65 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1907, 239,422 American babies have been named Sheila. Its peak came in 1962, when 8,807 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sheila stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sheila?

The median living Sheila is about 64 years old; half are between 57 and 71. An estimated 196 thousand people named Sheila are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sheila year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 65 #2,686 – –
2024 97 #2,031 – –
2023 102 #1,942 – –
2022 127 #1,667 – –
2021 115 #1,779 – –
2020 131 #1,605 – –
2019 90 #2,105 – –
2018 96 #2,045 – –
2017 104 #1,941 – –
2016 114 #1,826 – –
2015 124 #1,708 – –
2014 162 #1,413 – –
2013 145 #1,523 – –
2012 145 #1,528 – –
2011 183 #1,291 – –
2010 186 #1,283 – –
2009 170 #1,395 – –
2008 224 #1,149 – –
2007 271 #990 – –
2006 279 #941 – –
2005 240 #1,018 – –
2004 315 #803 – –
2003 303 #819 – –
2002 340 #723 – –
2001 383 #658 – –
2000 343 #689 – –
1995 395 #583 – –
1990 626 #413 – –
1985 1,012 #251 – –
1980 1,214 #214 5 #7,139
1975 2,099 #134 8 #4,253
1970 4,937 #75 10 #3,246
1965 7,904 #50 28 #1,478
1960 7,905 #56 20 #1,851
1955 7,661 #57 7 #3,465
1950 5,322 #70 15 #2,011
1945 3,178 #89 7 #2,962
1940 1,923 #130 – –
1935 1,326 #151 6 #3,596
1930 341 #364 – –
1925 214 #478 – –
1920 91 #767 – –
1915 42 #1,039 – –
1910 10 #1,614 – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sheila

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sheila Hancock Sheila Hancock English actress, singer, and author (born 1933) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sheila E. Sheila E. American singer and percussionist (born 1957) Contemporary
  3. 3 Sheila Kelley American actress (born 1963) b. 1961 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Sheila Dikshit Sheila Dikshit Indian politician and former chief minister of Delhi (1938–2019) Contemporary
  5. 5 Sheila Young Sheila Young American speed skater and cyclist b. 1950 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sheila, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sheila?

The median living Sheila is about 64 years old. Half of all living Sheilas are between 57 and 71 years old.

How many people named Sheila are alive today?

An estimated 196 thousand people named Sheila are alive in the United States, based on 239,422 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sheila mean?

Anglicized spelling of Irish Síle, equivalent to Cecilia.

How popular is the name Sheila in 2025?

Sheila ranked #2,686 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 65 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sheila?

239,422 babies have been named Sheila in the United States since 1907, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sheila most popular?

Sheila peaked in 1962, when 8,807 newborns received the name.

Is Sheila a boy or girl name?

Sheila is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sheila rising or falling?

Sheila is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Sheila become more popular?

Sheila is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 59 girls named Sheila in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sheila?

Well-known people named Sheila include Sheila Hancock (actor), Sheila E. (singer), Sheila Kelley (actor).

Names like Sheila

Names that sound and feel close to Sheila: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sheila with similar names → More names starting with S →